Buckles for safety seat belts



United States Patent O 3,453,701 BUCKLES FOR SAFETY SEAT BELTS Gte Eskil Yngve Holmberg, Tokarp, Anderstorp, Sweden, assignor to G.E.Y.-Patenter Aktiebolag, Ande'storp, Sweden Filed June 28, 1966, Ser. No. 561,17S Claims priority, application Sweden, Oct. 13, 1965, 13,266/ 65; Apr. 12, 1966, 4,908/ 66 Int. Cl. A44b 11/25 U.S. Cl. 24-165 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a mounting for a safety seat belt in motor cars there is provided a planar slide for immovably clamping the belt strap in the mounting, and a flat sleeve open at both ends and forming a housing for the mounting with the slide guided for sliding movement by the sleeve and one end of the slide extending outwardly of the sleeve to form an Operating tongue.

This invention relates to such buckles for safety seat belts as comprise a plate-shaped body, a locking mechanism mounted on the body, and a bar movable in the body, said bar being designed as a planar slide engaging one flat face of the plate-shaped body, and a belt strap passed through a slot in the body being placed about the movable bar to be clamped, upon exertion of a pull at the strap, between the movable bar and one boundary edge of the slot.

With a view to simplifying the structural embodiment of buckles of this type in point of the control means for actuating the locking mechanism upon release of the buckle from an abutment element cooperating therewith and for adjusting the effective length of the strap clamped in the buckle, the invention suggests in such a buckle the arrangement that the slide is movably guided between one flat face of the plate-shaped body and an envelope enclosing the body and the looking mechanism and having the shape of a flat sleeve movable on the body and open at both ends, and that the slide extends outside the envelope at one end thereof to be movable by hand away from said boundary edge.

The above and further features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the buckle engaged with an abutment element;

FIG. 2 is a plan view as in FIG. 1 but with the envelope removed from the buckle;

FIG. 3 is a slide View of the buckle with the envelope in longitudinal section;

FIG. 4 is a cross section of the buckle on line IV-IV in FIG. 1.

The illustrated buckle comprises a body consisting of a plate shaped as a hook 11 in which can be inserted an abutment element 12 in the form of a wire yoke or like member which may be Secured in the body of a vehicle and has circular cross-sectional shape. For retaining the abutment element 12 in the hook 11 the plate-shaped body 10 has arranged thereon a pair of pivotally mounted pawls 13 which are interconnected by means of a rivet 14 traversing the body and rotatably mounted therein, said rivet functioning as a pivot axis, the pawls being placed in application with opposite flat faces of the body and thus being pivotal in planes parallel with that of the body about the axis of the rivet 14. Each of the pawls 13 is formed with a notch 15 which by means of a circular portion fits over the abutment element 12 and widens towards its mouth to permit the pawl to freely swing over the abutment element 12 when the latter is received in the hook 11 formed by the body '10. The two pawls which are pivotal as a unit are retained in their latching position shown in the drawing by a pressure spring 16 which is a. coiled spring of wire having the coil placed in a through hole 17 in the body and having its two limbs 16a and 16b placed on either side of the body and extending from the coiled portion so that when the limbs 16@ and 16b `are moved toward each other, it is a movement made against the force of the coiled portion of the spring. One limb 16& is bent into an aperture 17a in the body and engages a small roller 18 which is disposed in the aperture 17a and rotatably mounted on a rivet 1.8a interconnecting the pawls 13, while the limb 1611 is bent into a through hole 17b in the body and is applied with its book-shaped end portion against the boundary edge of the hole. The pivot movement of the pawls under the action of the spring is limited by the roller 18 coming into hearing engagement with the boundary edge of the aperture 17a, as will appear from FIG. 2.

For manual actuation of the pawls 13 to swing them into released position against the action of the spring 16, i.e., clockwise as seen in FIG. 2, there is arranged on the outer side of the body 10 an envelope 20` enclosing the locking mechanism and having the shape of a flat sleeve open at both ends and movably guided on the body 10 to move along it in that opposite edge portions of the body are accommodated in grooves 21 provided at the inner side of the envelope. The envelope 20 is adapted, by means of a dog in the form of an end wall 20@ on the envelope, to engage a nose 22 formed by each of the pawls 13 when the envelope is moved to the left as seen in FIGS. 1*3 in order to carry along the pawls against the action of the spring 16, swinging said pawls into released position. When the pawls are moved manually into released position against the action of the spring 16 by manual manipulation of the envelope 20 the roller 18 =rolls along the limb 16a of the spring, whereby the tricvelope 20 when the buckle is to be moved into engagement with the abutment element '12 is necessary as this engagement is brought about simply by passing the buckle onto the abutment member under accommodation thereof in the hook 11 inasmuch as the pawls 13 are thereby moved away against the action of the spring 16 by the pawls being able freely to move away from the end wall 20 of the envelope.

A planar slide 24 in the shape of a rectangular frame with a bar 25 extending between the short sides thereof is applied against one flat face of the body 10. Said slide is movably guided in opposite grooves 26 provided at the inner side of the envelope between the latter and the body and has a projection 27 extending from the envelope at one end thereof. A strap 28 passes through a slot 29 in the body 10-a corresponding recess 29a is provided in one flat face of the envelope-and is then placed around the bar in order then to pass again through the slot 29. The strap 28 is doubled to form a hip strap portion 28a and 'a shoulder strap portion 2817 in a three-point safety seat belt and -forms a loop 28c which is kept in close proximity to the portions 28a and 28b by means of a movable clasp 30 enclosing said portions. At a pull at either of the strap portions 28a and 28b the slide 24 is moved to the left as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 and the strap 28 will thereby be clamped between the bar 25 and the boundary edge of the slot 29, whereby a displacement of the strap in relation to the 'buckle is rendered mpossible. It it is desired to Shorten the effective length of either &453301 portion 28a or portion 28b this is simply done by pulling at that portion of the loop 28c which connects onto the strap portion in question inasmuch as the slide 24 is thereby moved away from the cooperating boundary edge of the slot 29. On the other hand, if it is desired to lengthen the effective length of either strap portion, which cannot simply be done by pullng at the strap portion in question as the strap is thereby clamped in the buckle, one will have to pull at the strap portion in question and simultaneously move the slide 24 to the right as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 so that the bar 25 is moved away from the cooperating boundary edge of the slot 29, and this is realized by causing one finger to etfect a pressure on the projection 27 of the slide 24, which eX- tends outside the envelope. The spring 16 is not only a load spring for the pawls 13 but also serves to counteract a displacement of the slide 24 to the right; either this displacement is caused by a pull at the loop 286 or by manual actuation at the projection 27. For by such manipulation the slide is engaged by means of its edge opposed to the projection with the limb 1617 of the spring 16.

Of course, the invention can be appled to other locking mechanisms than that described above, for example such mechanisms as have a latchng means in the form of a movable slide, and such mechanisms as are provided with an ejector for ejecting the abutment element 12 from the hook 11 upon release of the buckle.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mounting for a safety seat belt in motor cars, a body plate, means on said body plate for the connection thereof to an anchorage in the motor car, said plate forming a slot for a belt strap to be passed therethrough, a planar slide, a flat sleeve open at both ends thereof receiving said body plate and said slide, means on said sleeve forming opposite grooves, side edge portions of said body plate and said slide being slidably received in such grooves, said body plate being retained in said sleeve and said slide being slidable relative to said body plate and said sleeve independently thereof in a plane parallel to one side of the body plate, means on said slide to receive said belt strap thereon for clamping such strap by said slide against one edge of said slot, means formed by said sleeve for the reception of said belt strap, and means at one end of said slide extending outwardly from said sleeve and beyond the adjacent end of said plate to 4 form a projecting pressure tongue for manual Operating of the slide.

2. A mounting as claimed in claim 1 in which said slide with one of the flat faces thereof slidably engaging one of the flat faces of said body plate.

3. In a buckle for safety seat belts, a body plate forming a slot for a belt strap to be passed therethrough, a looking mechanism mounted on said body plate for the connection of the buckle to an anchorage in the motor car, a planar slide, a fiat sleeve open at both ends thereof receiving said body plate and said slide, means on said sleeve forming opposite grooves, side edge portions of said body plate and said slide being slidably received in such grooves, said body plate being retaned in said sleeve and said slide being slidable relative to said body plate and said sleeve independently thereof in a plane parallel to one side of the body plate, means On said slide to receive said belt strap thereon for 'clamping such strap by said slide against one edge of said slot, means formed by said sleeve for the reception of said belt strap, and means at one end of said slide extending outwardly from said sleeve and beyond the adjacent end of said plate to form a projecting pressure tongue for manually Operating the slide.

4. The buckle of claim 3, further characterzed by a spring Contacting said locking mechanism and said slide, said looking mechanism being movable into a latching position to engage said anchorage in such position and being loaded to said latching position by said spring, said slide being loaded by said spring into clamping position.

5. The buckle of claim 4, further characterized by said spring having a coil located in an aperture in 'said body plate and having one limb on one side of said body plate Contacting said looking mechanism and other limb on the other side of said body plate Contacting said slide.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 688,503 12/1901 Cross 24-163 3,317,243 5/1967 Weman 297-389 DONALD A. GRIFFIN, P''ma'y Examner.

U.S. CI. X.R. 297--389 

